March 27, 2013

In the latest blow to the Lakers difficult season, forward Metta World Peace will have surgery tomorrow for a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. World Peace injured his knee in Monday night’s ugly road loss to the Golden State Warriors.

World Peace has been one of the few consistent bright spots for Los Angeles this year, averaging 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.70 steals in 70 games (64 starts). Offensively, he has had a bounce back year, becoming a more reliable outside threat and overall scorer than in his earlier seasons with the club.

More importantly, World Peace has been a genuine asset on the defensive end, providing energy and hustle to an often lethargic team. With so many of the Lakers bigs in and out of the lineup due to injury, World Peace has at times been forced to play out of his natural position, as he has frequently guarded opposing 4's down low in the paint.